Keladry and the Sunburn
by Maxie Fonseca
Summary: Poor Kel. A sunburn is never fun. But when combined with a silly sergeant who can't seem to admit his own feelings, and many reports to write, it gets worse. Or does it? (KelxDom)
1. Sunburns and Teddy Bears

_Rob: Why, hullo there! And welcome to yet another absurdedly boring fanfic by Caila/Ms. Fonseca! _

_Just kidding xD I have no clue whether or not its boring, I just came up with this idea when i was sitting in class with a abnormably bad and terrible sunburn. And my friends reminded me of Dom. So i was like, Oh. Dom and Kel. Perfecto! Yup. Thats how i came up with this. Anywho, there'll be like, a chapter more... maybe 2. Nothing humongous. Just a bit of fluff xD I think. Lol. And really, the Kel in this story is completely unlike me, besides the sunburn. I'm more like Neal. the One who didn't do the reports until the 3 hours before the meeting -nods- Yup. Thats me. Of course, only me and Sir Meathead could pull off A+'s... well, Okay, Neal didn't get an A+. But he didn't get killed, adn thats what really matters. I've also decided that if i lived in Tortall, i would be friends with Neal and Dom. Maybe their cousin. And we would prank Raoul to no end. And i would have set Dom and Kel up way before this. Yup. _

_And after my fantasizing of being Dom and Neal's BFF, heres the fic! Enjoy, and review! Keep in mind i should be able to get this entire thing up this week. Woohoo for spring break adn no where to go!  
And my lovely AP Euro friends habits will be making an appearence in the next chapter xD_

_Oh yeah. Disclaimer. -announcer voice- None of this belongs to me. Except for the plot. And the sunburn. Wait, that's Kel's. Oh well. All belongs to Ms. Pierce. Yup. Wish i was her. And then i would have- well, everyone knows i would have put Dom and Kel together already. But it just means that i can write more fanfics about what would happen xD_

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As a tall, hazel eyed woman stared at the nearly cloudless sky, for a few minutes it was as if no one was around her, as if she were lying in the fields at home, or at New Hope, and not in the tilting fields at the royal palace in Corus. For a few minutes, she had no cares in the world, she didn't think of her crush, and she didn't think of all the reports she had to finish on her 'leave'.

"Bloody paperwork," Keladry of Mindelan muttered under her breath, but continued to stare up at the sky, deciding to ignore the call of the reports. Closing her eyes, she thought back to the last time she had had a good nights sleep, which was… Ah, she couldn't remember the last time she had a full nights sleep. It was all either worrying about the refugees, or doing paperwork. Why every single person she knew needed a report on New Hope was beyond her, and her only comfort in that was that Neal had to do the reports as well. She grinned, remembering the last time they had had to do reports, and Neal had waited until the last minute. Of course, she remembered darkly, he had gotten the reports done in the three hours before the meeting, and wasn't the one who had fallen into the bowl of soup in a lack-of-sleep-induced stupor. Dozing off slightly, she barely noticed when she no longer felt the rays of sun on her face, but she noticed the intake of breath above her. Cracking open a heavy-lidded eye, she murmured, "Why, hello Dom."

Grinning, the blue-eyed man sat down next to her. "Enjoying a few moments rest in this summers heat, Protector?" She shook her head ruefully.

"I was, until you came along."

"You wound me, Mother, right here," He said, pointing to his chest.

"Hmm, is _that_ where pride is located?" she replied.

"Hah. You should kiss me, and make it all better." Kel immediately slipped on her Yamani mask, and willed her voice to stay level.

"Thanks, but no thanks." She replied calmly, and was a bit shocked to see disappointment flashing through his eyes. Shaking her head to clear it, she deduced that she must have imagine that look. Dom would never be disappointed that she didn't kiss him. In fact, he would probably run in the opposite direction and never return. Bringing her mind back to the situation at hand, she watched as Dom folded his arms across his chest, and looked at her intensely, now with a look of sympathy in his eyes.

"How's the paperwork?"

"Don't remind me," Kel groaned, "I've only finished half of the report, even with your suggestion of having a scribe copy it for me. And I need to hand them in at the end of the week."

"And let me guess. Meathead hasn't even started something that vaguely resembles a report, and it's driving you completely crazy."

"But of course."

"Well I do declare, Keladry, are you agreeing with me?"

Kel sighed audibly, and waved at Dom. "If you're going to keep disturbing me, you can leave." After a few moments where he didn't move, she closed her eyes again and rolled onto her side.

"Me and Third Company were wondering, Keladry dearest, if you wanted to go for a swim with us. See, we found this charming pond, and-"

"Dom, remember last time I went swimming with you and the men?" He grinned, remembering how Kel had run away when she found the men swimming in their loincloths. Dom nodded. "So, I won't go."

After a few minutes, he asked, "So, were you looking at the clouds? Pity there weren't more of them. Meathead and I used to look at the clouds. He always thought he could see these fantastical shapes. I think one was a stormwing battling a hurrok, with himself triumphing over both of them." He shook his head sadly. "He always has been a tad crazy."

"Dom?"

"Yes Kel?"

"If you're not going to leave, could you please be quiet? I'm relaxing."

"But of course Lady Knight. I will be the object of discretion. The epitome of silence. The-"

"Dom."

"-sergeant who is shutting up now." He leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head, before absentmindedly rubbing his left shoulder. He, along with the rest of Third Company, had been sent back after they had been involved in a small battle with rebellious Tusaines. Dom had taken sword to the shoulder, cutting through between the plates of armor, and although he had been healed it was still stiff. Still musing, he almost didn't hear the faint snore coming from next to him. Grinning, he rolled Kel over until she was facing him, and poked her. Seeing that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, he felt it was best to leave her there, and carry on with what he had been doing, which was going swim in a pond with the rest of his men. And, he amended, he would help her with those reports when he was done. It would do her no good if she collapsed in a soup bowl again.

Much later, after the bell had rung to signify dinner, Dom skidded to a halt outside of Kel's rooms. She hadn't made an appearance at dinner, and he was afraid that she had worked straight through it, without taking a break to eat. Patting the loaf of bread he had taken for her, along with the only apple that Wolset hadn't eaten in his dare to eat all the fruit, Dom raised his hand to knock on the door, and was interrupting by Tobe opening the door and asking,

"Lady Kel?" A bit shocked, Dom replied,

"No, its just me. Dom. I'm guessing Kel isn't in there?" Tobe shook his head, and said,

"She hasn't been here since… oh, before the noon meal. Have you seen her?" Dom started to shake his head in reply, but then remembered that Kel had been fast asleep in the fields. Hitting his forehead with his hand, he muttered,

"Mithros, that girl wouldn't wake up for anything." Speaking a bit louder, he continued, saying, "Tobe, if she is where I think she is, I'll bring her back in a few minutes." Not waiting for a response, he turned and walked off in the direction of the tilting fields.

Kel muttered under her breath as she slept. "Neal, you're really earning the nickname Meathead… you should finish your reports. Dom, stop teasing him, now that I made him start writing. Its good for him. And quit asking me to borrow the griffin feather band. I swear, there is no spell on him, making him work. And don't plan to raid a nest. I'll make you a band tomorrow." The man crouching next to her grinned, his sapphire eyes glittering in the dying sunlight. Looking at Kel's deep pink skin, he shook his head sympathetically. He should have woken her up earlier. Too late for regrets though. She would be feeling that sunburn in the morning, and knowing her she wouldn't go to the healers to get that lotion they came up with. Sighing, for he did not want to be the one to wake her up, Dom prodded her shoulder gently. Kel yelped, and Dom grimaced. Standing, he stooped slightly to pick her up, taking extra care to avoid holding onto her arms.

Quite stupidly she had worn an old shirt with the sleeves torn off at the shoulder, trying to keep cool on the hot day. Therefore, as Dom noted, her shoulders, arms, and neck were burnt, as well as her face. She turned her head into his chest, resting her head in the crook of his neck before mumbling,

"Hmm, you smell nice." Dom grinned, and replied,

"Glad to hear you think so." Realizing she was still asleep, he just smiled again before bringing her to her rooms. Kicking the door, he walked in as it was opened by Tobe, before placing Kel gently on her bed. Smoothing Kel's hair away from her face, he thought to kiss her cheek, but decided against it as Tobe coughed behind him. Motioning for Tobe to join him, Dom gently shut the door as they exited the room.

"Yes, Sergeant Dom?"

He hesitated a second before asking, "Kel hasn't had much sleep lately, has she? She didn't wake up, even when I tried to get her up. And even past that, she wouldn't wake up when I picked her up. And believe me. I checked to make sure she was alive."

Tobe scratched his head before replying, "Truthfully sir, I know one is supposed to be respectful to the King, but his Majesty has been overworking Lady Kel. She's been staying up till all hours of the night, finishing those reports." Dom nodded slowly and said,

"She's been outside all afternoon. She might wake up later, and if she does, tell her to go back to sleep and that I'll see her in the morning. Good night, Tobe." He clapped the boy on the shoulder before turning in the direction of his bunk in the barracks, missing the grin Tobe sent in his direction.

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Waking up at false dawn was never pleasant, especially if you were on leave from duty. It was more unpleasant if, upon waking up, you discovered you had a bad sunburn. Especially if you discovered this by trying to stretch your arms above your head. Biting her lip to keep from yelping, Kel grimaced as she gingerly patted her raw skin.

"Lady Kel," She heard Tobe say quietly, and half-grinned. He still hadn't gotten past calling her Lady, despite her pleas to just be known as Kel. "Lady Kel, you should go back to sleep." Raising an eyebrow, she hid a yawn before replying,

"I should, should I? And why would that be?"

"Because you haven't had much sleep in the past week, Lady Kel. And Sergeant Dom said-"

"Dom? He said what?" Kel interrupted him. She swore she saw Tobe glare at her before muttering,

"He said that you needed more sleep, if you were going around falling asleep in fields the entire afternoon, not even waking when he tried to get you up. Or something like that," He amended.

"Oh." Kel murmured quietly. _I guess Dom really was that person_, she thought_. I thought it was just a dream. _She rested her head on her hand for a second before having to bite her lip again from the sharp pain she felt. Tobe grinned, and she glared at him before remembering she was no longer Tobe's age, and hadn't glared at people even at that age.

"Sergeant Dom also said he would stop by later in the morning."

"This is all Dom's fault," Kel said, extremely frustrated that she could barely touch her face or arms.

"Excuse me, milady?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Tobe. Its just Kel. But he came to see me just after lunch. I guess I dozed off, but he left me there, so it's his fault I got sunburned!" She rose gingerly, and walked to her dressing room, where she pulled on a loose shirt similar to the one she had worn the day before and another pair of breeches. "I'll be back later, Tobe," She promised, before pulling on her boots and leaving the room.

A few minutes later a very red lady knight knocked on the door to the barracks that housed Third Company. After pounding for a few minutes with no response, Kel sighed and hit her forehead on the door.

"Ow!" She muttered, and then thought to try the doorknob. Surprisingly it was unlocked, and she slowly opened the door, closing her eyes tightly as she realized most of the men slept bare. "Dom?" She called softly, and one of the men muttered,

"In the back," before going back to sleep. Kel nodded her thanks before remembering that he couldn't see her. She then decided to open her eyes so she wouldn't run into anything, and almost sprinted to the far end of the barracks. Luckily for Kel, Dom had fallen asleep without mostly changing, so he still had on a pair of breeches, although he wasn't wearing a shirt. Kneeling next to his bed, she cautiously prodded his shoulder and whispered,

"Dom, wake up," for she did not want to be caught by the rest of the men. Her ingenious plan, thought up in the five minutes it took to walk from her rooms to the barracks, was to wake him up, then take him to the practice courts. For some odd reason, none of Kel's friends ever wanted to go to the practice courts with her. She shrugged, and returned to the task at hand. "Dom, come on, wake up."

Dom's response was to roll over and grab Kel, hugging her tightly to him before saying "Five more minutes, Mother." A bit shocked that Dom was hugging her like that, she let a snort escape as he continued with, "Teddy doesn't want to go to school."

"Dom, wake up." She repeated, and almost bit back a yelp of pain as he hugged her tighter.

"Aw Ma, but I today I have a test on Scanra!" Kel tried to disentangle herself from his grip, but only succeeded in making her sunburn hurt more. Dom shifted position, and for a second Kel thought he was going to let her go, but instead he rolled back over, bringing Kel with him.

_This has gone on long enough_, she though, and tried to hit him on the head, but her arms were pinned to her sides. Not wanting to hurt Dom in order to get away, and rather liking the fact that he was hugging her, even though he _did_ think she was his teddy bear, Kel leaned her head on the pillow and stared at his face. _It was rather funny,_ she thought. _They might be the best squad in the Own, and Dom the best commander I know, but give them leave and they won't wake up until they smell food._ Hitting her head on the pillow, which proved to be the ideal place to hit her sunburned forehead, for she only felt a dull pain that she could stand, Kel thought, _Mithros. If I had brought food, I wouldn't have been in this mess._ Still thinking, Kel slowly dozed off, waking every few minutes as Dom either tightened his grip or started to roll over, until the lack of sleep she had caught up with her, and she fell fast asleep in his arms.

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So click on that little button down there and review, pretty please!And i will try to update Twist of Fate as well... yeah. I have Chapter 9 written. I just sort of hit writers block with it xD


	2. Reports and the need of Healers

_-dodges thrown objects- So sorry i haven't updated in forever and day! -cringes- But i have a very good reason(s). You see, i was going to finish writing this last week during my spring break. And then i had to sleep over my friends house so we could go to the movies the next day, so that took out two days of updating (wed-thurs). Then i was busy on friday, and i went to visit family over the weekend. Now, i did write during this week. I just never had time to finish because i have my AP Euro exam tomorrow and needed to study x.x Of course, after a 3 hour nap this afternoon i have studied and decided that if i don't know anything now i won't know it by tomorrow. So i finished up some odds and ends, adn now i'm uploading it. So don't kill me if you hate it, just let me know (but let me know kindly, we blondes tend to be emotional. Just kidding.) , because there is a reason, seeing as i'm somewhat preoccupied. Yeah. Er... so review! And have a good weekend. I've got a 4 hour ap exam, soccer practice, soccer game, and then House of Wax xD_

_Oh yeah, disclaimed. Uh... everything that you don't recognize as TP's is mine. And vice versa. So really, i own the plot. And dialogue. And the evil friends who- Well, yeah. Don't really own them. And on to the story._

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Dom woke up to a very interesting scene. As his eyes slowly opened, he could have sworn he saw a light brown colored head next to him, but abandoned the hope it was Kel. She would never do that. Would she? No, never. But he still hoped. And as he woke up completely, he almost fell out of the bed in joy, seeing that it _was_ Kel. He pinched his arm to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and then as he felt a sharp pain deduced he was awake. Quickly checking to make sure his clothes were on, he came to the conclusion that they hadn't been drunk and that they hadn't done anything.

_But then why is she here? Dom asked himself, and then remembered the past day's events as he saw Kel's red skin. Snickering slightly, he looked down and saw Kel's head buried in his shoulder. He grinned, but frowned slightly as she mumbled,_

"No Dom, no more teddy bears…" He carefully shook her, making sure to not clasp too tightly on her shoulder, and said quietly,

"Keladry… Kel, wake up." His stomach growled, and Dom realized he was hungry. Gritting his teeth, he poked Kel in the shoulder, hard, because he didn't want to leave her here in the barracks, with all the men.

With a yelp she woke up and hit her head on his chin. Sitting up, she rubbed the top of her head gingerly, while Dom rubbed his chin.

"Ow…" She muttered, while Dom retorted,

"You have a hard head. Must be from being around the Meathead." Kel started to glare at him before asking,

"Dom, why am I here?" He crossed his arms over his chest and said,

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?"

Kel thought this over for a second before replying, "Oh, yeah," and rising quickly. Pulling out a shirt for Dom to wear from his trunk, she threw it at him and said, "Meet me at the practice courts."

"But why, oh dearest Protector?"

"Because you keep calling me that name," She retorted. "And because of this blasted sunburn."

He nodded slowly, but motioned for her to keep her voice down as the men in their bunks around his started to wake up. One of them sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily before saying,

"Good morning Kel." Quickly walking towards the door of the barracks, she murmured,

"Good morning, Wolset. Go back to sleep."

"Yes Mother," he mumbled before rolling back over and pulling the covers over his head. Dom chuckled, and pulled on his boots and the shirt before joining Kel at the door. He motioned for her to go first, and then pulled the door shut behind them. Dom debated whether or not to put his arm around Kel's shoulder, and then decided to grab her hand and drag her with him.

_-----------------------------------_

In the barracks, a shocked Wolset shot up in bed and looked around.

"Keladry?" He called, and ducked a shoe that one of the men threw at him.

"Shut your trap, stop your fantasizing, and go back to sleep! It's bad enough with Dom!" The man roared, and Wolset meekly obeyed as he covered his head again.

_-----------------------------------_

"Dom?" Kel asked calmly.

"Yes Kel?"

"Where are we going?"

"To the mess, m'dear. If you're going to kill me in practice, I might as well get a last meal in." Grinning, he led her to the mess hall, and bowed before opening the door for her. "Milady," Dom said mockingly, and ushered her towards a table. Grabbing a few muffins and some fruit, he sat down in front of Kel, and handed her an apple.

"So Kel, will we be using swords, spears, or glaives? You know that you could beat me at all three. Your illustrious self will triumph over all. You, the Protector of the Small, the Lady Knight, the-"

"Dom, nothing you say will get you out of practicing with me."

"Oh fine," He huffed, and cast his eyes down at the table, munching on another apple. "So Kel, how much of those reports did you finish?" Dom asked wickedly. Kel gasped and brought her hand to her mouth to catch the pieces of apple that were threatening to fly out. Chewing her food, and then swallowing, she glumly said,

"I still haven't finished them. And-" she was interrupted by a large hand settling down on her shoulder, and spun in her seat to face Raoul. "Hello, Sir," She murmured, after clenching her teeth to keep from yelping.

"Now Kel, how many times do I have to tell you? Please, call me Raoul."

"At least once more, Raoul, as always," Dom put in. Grinning, Raoul turned back to Kel and asked,

"So when can I expect that report? We need them all by tomorrow." Dom started to laugh, and Kel glared at him before telling Raoul,

"I'll give it to you tomorrow morning, Sir." Raoul made a face, and muttered,

"It's Raoul. My mother liked that name and gave it to me. You don't see mother's going around naming their children sir." Dom laughed again, and Kel made a face at him before answering,

"Of course si- Raoul. Tomorrow." Raoul walked away, still muttering about mother's wanting their children to be called what they were named.

"Dom-"

"Kel-"

"You first."

"No," He exclaimed, "_Ladies_, first."

"Fine. I don't think we can practice today-" She broke off as Dom punched the air with his right fist.

"Yes! I mean- The reports, right? You should finish those." Trying not to grin, she covered her face before saying,

"Yes. The reports. I'll practice with you tomorrow then." She got up to leave, but Dom shoved two muffins and some fruit into her hand.

"Eat these. And remember to eat lunch this time, please. I'll see you here, at the noon bell." She nodded before walking out of the mess and towards her rooms.

_-----------------------------------_

Dom skidded to a halt outside of Kel's rooms. After waiting for an hour in the mess, he had figured out that she had forgotten to eat. Again. Making sure that the tray he carried didn't tip over, he knocked on the door, changing to a pound when Kel didn't answer right away.

"If you're a messenger, please inform milord that no, the report is not done yet. I will deliver it to him personally when it's finished. That is all." Dom grinned, and opened the door slowly, calling out,

"Don't hurt me, I come bearing food, o' dear Protector."

"Dom?" Kel asked, and he hurried in, placing the tray on the desk.

"But of course. Your humble servant, milady," He replied with a bow. She hid a grin, and asked,

"Did the noon bell ring? I didn't hear it. Rep-"

"Reports, reports. I know. And yes, the bell did ring. An hour or so ago."

"Oh Dom, I'm so sorry, I completely abandoned you there, and-"

"Shh," He said. "Just eat. And besides yesterday, have you gotten any sleep this past week?" Kel started to shake her head, but then said,

"Yes, I have gotten sleep. I've gotten a full-"

"Fifteen minutes. Does that really count, Keladry?" Again, she hid a grin, and Dom laughed. "Fine, you can finish the reports after you eat. And then you need sleep. And I made sure not to get any soup for you. We can't have you falling in again, now can we?" He smirked, and she glared at him before digging into the food. Dom pulled a chair over from the wall and turned it around, sitting in it backwards with his arms resting on the chair back. Glancing at the report, he exclaimed, "Mithros, Kel, it's a report, not a novel on Great-Uncle Emry's achievements!"

Kel swallowed her mouthful of food before replying, "I know, I know. But it's always better to include more than you need. What if I forgot something important? By writing everything down, I-"

"Bore everyone to death. By the gods, Kel. No wonder you're always a zombie after writing reports. Write an outline of everything, first. Then go in and add details where you think they're needed. I doubt Raoul needs to know each illness of the fifteen refugees that caught sick on the twelfth."

"But-"

"But nothing. Give an outline. Then you can say something like 'over the past few months, illnesses were the following.' That way he'll know what supplies you might need for healing, but you won't have written a daily account. If they ask how many of each got that illness, then you can tell them. You're wearing yourself thin here, Kel."

She looked at him strangely. "I never pegged you for giving speeches, Dom." He shrugged.

"When it comes to the well being of the people I l- well, my friends, I take an interest." He could have sworn she blushed lightly, but waved it off. Kel started writing again, only to stop a few minutes later.

"Dom," She asked hesitantly, "Why are you still here?" Leaning closer to her, he said,

"I'm bored and have nothing else to do."

"Oh." She gulped, and Dom got up, turning his chair back around before leaning back in it. Kel started writing again, and after another few minutes she looked at Dom, who was staring at her left ear. "Dom, do you know how infuriating it is to be writing while you're staring at me?"

"Oh, sorry," He murmured. Dom hadn't thought it had been that obvious he was staring. Thinking back on it, being the only other person in the room would mean that it was quite obvious. "Won't happen again." She shook her head, and went back to writing. Willing himself to stare at a spot on the wall, he was thoroughly bored out of his mind. Catching a glimpse of Kel's bright red shoulder, he chuckled softly, and stared at it instead.

"You should really see a healer for that," Dom said quietly, and Kel turned to face him again.

"Excuse me?"

"A healer. That sunburn is pretty bad. At least let me get Uncle to give you that lotion."

"I'm fine, Dom."

"Whatever you say, Kel." After a few more minutes of listening to Kel writing, he cautiously stuck his hand out and prodded her shoulder, gently.

"Dom!"

"Kel, your shoulder didn't even turn white when I pressed it."

"Dom, please don't say-"

"That you need to go to a healer? Because you do. "

"I am _fine!"_ Kel said loudly, and went back to writing. Dom shrugged, and then poked her shoulder again, watching as she visibly flinched.

"You jumped." He said softly, and she glared at him.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did no- We sound like children."

"Correction, Keladry," Dom said calmly, "You sound like a child. I'm taking you to the healers."

"But I have to finish the reports!"

"No you don't."

"Dom, you heard Raoul!" She exclaimed, "He needs the report by tomorrow!" Sighing, Dom said,

"Fine, when you're done with the reports, _then_ will you go to the healers?" She shrugged, and Dom knew that was the only answer he would get out of her. After a few more minutes, he cautiously rose and stood behind her. Seeing as Kel wasn't paying attention to him, he continued with his course of action. Which was to hit Kel on both shoulders simultaneously. Quite hard.

"Dom!" Kel shrieked from her position on the floor, onto which she had fallen after Dom hit her. "What in Mithros' name was that for? It _hurt_!"

"Sorry," Dom replied, trying not to laugh as he dodged the writing tablet Kel threw at him. "I wanted to see how high you would jump."

_-----------------------------------_

"Dom, I can't write anything with you there, glaring at me. Go practice with the Own." Seeing Dom start to protest from the corner he had retreated to, she continued with, "Or we'll joust tomorrow." Dom quickly rose and exited the room, cursing the fact that Kel was as well known as Raoul or Alanna for her jousting skill. As he leaned against the door, he sighed as he heard Kel exclaim, "Ouch!", followed by a thud as she threw something at the wall.

"Oh Kel!" He called.

"Jousting!" She shouted back, and Dom quickly fled.

_-----------------------------------_

As the bell tolled seven times, Dom nodded to the men who had joined him for sword practice. As he carefully wiped off his sword and placed it in its scabbard, he heard Wolset say,

"I could have sworn I saw the Lady in the barracks earlier." One of the other men nodded.

"I thought I heard her speaking with Dom. It was the weirdest thing." Dom coughed, and the men immediately stopped talking.

"So," He said after a few moments of silence, "I'll see you all tomorrow for more practice?" Not waiting for an answer, he turned and started to walk away.

"Probably going to see the Lady, that's my guess," Dom heard one of the other men say, and he said,

"She just needs help with the reports…"

Wolset winked, and muttered, "Of course that's all she needs- Ow!" He broke off with a yell as Dom hit him on the head. The men scattered, and Dom shook his head sadly as he trudged off in the direction of Kel's rooms.

"Kel," He drawled, "Would you please open the door?" Dom could hear her still writing, and pounded on the door again. After a few moments, he commented, "I'll get Meathead over here to break down the door-"

The door creaked open, and he carefully made his way around a very red Kel. "Don't do that," She muttered, and Dom grinned.

"Why not, dearest Protector? Afraid he might heal your burn? Have you finished the reports yet?" Kel hid a yawn, and said quietly,

"No, not yet." As Dom strode over to her desk and sat in the chair, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He replied, "I'm finishing the reports."

"But, but," Kel spluttered.

"But nothing. Now get into bed and go to sleep. I'll bring you to the healers later, once I'm done."

_-----------------------------------_

After writing quickly in his big scrawl, using at least three pages of parchment in the span of fifteen minutes, he glanced at Kel, who was tossing and turning under the covers. "Kel," Dom asked, still writing, "Is something the matter?" He heard some mumbling, but couldn't make out the words. "I'm sorry Lady Knight, but even I can't understand you with your head under the covers. Repeat that, please."

"I said, _Domitan_," Kel replied, voice tinged with a bit of pain, "That I can't fall asleep on my back, and my shoulders hurt too much to lie on."

"A heal-"

"No. No healers."

Dom threw his hands up in the air, abandoning his writing. "Kel, this is ridiculous! (A/N: _Sorry, just had to include that word. My friend uses that word like, 50 billion times a day. In math she said it twice in 1 sentence. So I interrupted class to inform her of it. Anyway, back to the story… won't happen again xD_) You need to see a healer!" She pulled the covers back over her head.

"No I do not!" He pushed back the chair and got up, settling himself next to her on the bed. Gently grasping the covers in his hands, he tugged at them until he revealed Kel's face.

Sighing, he asked, "Which shoulder hurts less?" She gestured to her left shoulder, and he said, "Well fall asleep on that shoulder, then."

"But I keep rolling over."

"Do you have an extra pillow?" Dom asked.

"No…"

"Well then," Dom said good naturedly. Rising from his spot on the bed, he grabbed the parchment as well as the writing tablet before pushing Kel over. Settling himself next to her again he said quietly, "Now go to sleep."

Kel blinked owlishly at him, reminding Dom of her crest, before calmly asking, "Dom, what are you doing?"

Shaking his head, he tapped the pencil nub against the tablet and replied, "Finishing the reports."

She sighed. "I can see that, Dom. Why do you feel the need to finish the reports here, much less finish them at all? I can write them by myself." He ignored her query, and after a few minutes of Kel rattling off exactly why she could finish the reports, he said,

"Kel, just go to sleep." She looked at him for a few moments before lying back down and pulling the covers around her. He grinned as Kel murmured,

"Fine, but if these reports aren't good I'll hurt you."

"I would expect nothing less, Protector of the Small." Trying not to laugh, he turned his thoughts back to the task at hand.

_Well, it's a good thing that I helped Meathead with his reports last time, he thought, trying to make sense of Kel's writing.Deciding to re-write most of the report, he thought, Now what was the cook's name, and why would he need broccoli? That dastardly vegetable. Oh wait, Meathead will have to eat it. A hundred pounds, then!_

_-----------------------------------_

**dreamerdoll**: I knew i forgot something! Responding to reviews! -hits head- I would have done it, but i had to get to sleep.So now I'm responding. There's gonna be a lot of these... xD And that line actually wasn't in the chapter in the beginning, but then my mom made me eat broccoli for dinner and it evolved from there xD

**Assthorn**: Yeah, i know Kel would have no problem visiting the healers. But think for a second. You fall asleep in a field. You get sunburned. Now think about who your best friend is. Meathead, who is a healer. Seems to me like while Kel might go to the healers and wouldn't avoid a healing for something she got in battle, she would want to avoid Neal, who would take the chance to tease her about it every second he got. Thats why he hasn't made an appearence, either. But he will. After the fluff, part 1 xD

Okay, now from the beginning... xD

**Sirladyknight27**: lol, i get what you mean xD And thanks for thinking i keep them in character. I try xD

**Secret Agent Angel**: Thanks for thinking its grear. I assume you mean great xP Heh

**Elerrina**: I do work hard to keep mistakes out xD I usually don't have errors in the people themselves (like, names and carp) because i've read the books so many times... i should probably stop reading them so much xD But on good news, i now own Song of THe Lioness Quartet and the first two books of Wild Mage, along with PotS. -dances-

**Tuttleh**: Glad to hear you think its good xD I'll try to work on Twist of Fate... eventually xD

**Kimmeh**: LYK PNG J00 ARE A DORK BUT WE LUFF YAH! And of course you can have my autograph -hands j00 signed photo- There yah go! Oh, and Rob wants to give you his autograph as well. Rob: PNG of course! -hands signed photo- Me: Hey rob, you just photoshopped your face into my photo! Rob: So what if i'm a ghost and no one can take pictures of me. I drew myself in, not photoshopped xD

**Lady 0f Masbolle**: Glad to hear you think its great xD

**feifiefoum: **The centered typing just helps me to read it... lol xD Plus its different from what a lot of people do, so thats what i use xD

**Pinky:o** Avoid K/D? But-but. Oh well, can't convert everyone xD But i can try :D Well, Kel has a suspicion that Dom wrote Meathead's reports before. So she feels like he can write them for her. Plus that whole crush thing is affecting her judgement. Now who she really has to watch out for is Raoul...

**Hera**: Wow, thanks! xD

**J: **Of course I'll keep going. Lots of people would throw stuff at me if i didn't, and i'm a delicate person! xD

**Fantasizing-Lady-Knight**: I didn't make it TOO embarassing, did i? xD

**Jamie Lynn**: Glad to hear you like it xD And thanks for the luck on exams. It was terrible... but i hope i did okay xD

**Avchocaholic: **Not too much chaos, but i think it fits xD

**Kelly Masbolle**: Thanks for thinking my writing is good. Now if you could just convince my English teacher xD

**DOMLUVR4EVER:** But of course, what kind of person would i be if i didn't give you a cliffie? And its not TOO bad xD

**WildPixieChild16: **Hope you like the 2nd chapter xD

**Chica Verde**: Well, i did write more xD Enjoy!

**Gilby the Fish**: I've always loved K/D too. They should have ended up together in Lady Knight. Like, there should have been a few more chapters xD

**Knight Queen**: Glad to hear you think its funny xD My family just does not get my sense of humor... my mom read the first chapter and she told me i need to find other things to occupy my time xD

**gatermage**: Well, i updated. just for yah> Well, you, and everyone else reading this who will throw stuff at me if i don't update xD

**Scottish Wish**: Yeah, it is cute. But i wish that my friends hadn't given me the idea -rubs shoulders-

**Pussin Boots**: Of course, 100 pounds! xD

**fluffy-bubbles**: Oo, i have Dom exactly the way TP writes him? Coolio xD and your french is better than mine. Yo hablo espanol xD

**demented-dreamer**: I'll update ASAP XD

**ladymori:** I will update soon :D

**bbllgirl4ever**: Yeah, AP Courses svck. And its my mom's fault i took the class in the first place... seh wouldn't let me take the regents history course. And next year i'm taking two ap courses... AP American History and AP Studio Art x.x

**FanFictionFantom**: Don't usually like K/D? I luff it xD And dom, boring? -covers his ears- Well, i guess he could be a little boring. A smidge xD

**boykiller26**: -hands you inhaler- Here yah go xD

_Okay, i think i got everyone xD Oh yeah, review some more so i can respond to more reviews -nods- More reviews make Caila happy. A happy caila sleeps. A happy caila does her hw. A happy caila writes more. So review to make Caila happy so she can sleep so she can do her hw so she can write more. Yup._


	3. Meathead's lectures CAN come in handy

_Oops, sorry this took awhile. I'm a procrastinator, let it be known xD Plus, I just went on a field trip for Music in the Parks. Woot, we placed 1st and 2nd in our class for High School orchestra, and won best Overall High School Orchestra xD We're coo' like dat. So I'll finish this up now xD_

_Disclaimer thingummey: Er… none of this belongs to me, except for the plot. Tamora Pierce owns everything else. Like the characters, dur. _

_Oh, and on a funnier note, in the past week-ish I've had two bad sunburns. Oh the joy xD_

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As small feet hit his head, Dom groaned and tried to roll over. However, he found himself lying next to someone, and quickly opened his eyes. As his surroundings came into focus, he sighed.

_It's quite lucky, he thought, that the thing next to me is Jump. The animal in question 'woofed' quietly, and nudged Dom's head with his cold nose, forcing it backwards. As Dom's head moved, the sparrows who had taken up residence there chirped and flew up, and he noticed that they landed on something beside him. He closed his eyes, hoping that the person next to him would disappear, but as he opened them he once again saw the light brown head of Kel._

_Mithros_, he thought, _Although this is very nice, it's getting repetitive. Meathead's going to come and find out, and then he'll-_ His thoughts were interrupted by a pounding knock on the door. Dom slowly slid out of his position between Kel and Jump, untangling Kel's arm from around him. _Well, that's nice. I hadn't noticed that before-_ Dom's thoughts were once again interrupted by the continuous pounding.

"Coming!" He shouted, before he realized that this wasn't his room. Resisting the urge to hit his head on the wall numerous times before jumping out of the window, Dom slowly walked to the door and cautiously opened it, waiting for the attack of Meathead. Surprisingly, however, it wasn't Neal but Raoul who had been standing at the door. "Sir?" He asked sleepily.

"Dom?" The knight replied, quite surprised. "Why would you be in Kel's room?" He seemed to think for a second before grinning. "Ah, so you've finally told darling Keladry-" Dom groaned.

"No, _Sir_," He grinned as Raoul frowned. "I was making sure she slept." He ignored Raoul's laugh at that, and asked, "What are you here for, sir?"

"Would you stop calling me by that abominable name? I should change it to Sir of Goldenlake. Then maybe people would finally call me Raoul. But anyway," He continued, waving his hands around, "I need the reports. Did Kel finish them?" Dom nodded absentmindedly, and walked towards the nightstand where he had placed the reports before falling asleep. Raoul followed him, and whistled as he saw Kel.

"What in Mithros' name happened to her?" He asked.

"Oh, that? Sunburn."

"Has she been to a healer?" Dom laughed.

"She flat out refuses. Sir, could you order her?"

"Me, order her? Sergeant, that girl won't do anything she doesn't want to. Well, she will, but she's stubborn. Even if I ordered her there, she would come up with excuses as to why she couldn't." Dom nodded, and handed Raoul the reports.

"Could you give these to the others who need them? I wasn't sure who was supposed to receive them."

Raoul raised an eyebrow and commented, "Dom, why is this in your handwriting?"

Dom shrugged, and pointed to the sleeping Kel. "She wouldn't go to sleep, so I told her I would finish the reports. Sir, I don't know how you get through reading those things. I could barely make sense of it, myself."

Raoul thought for a second before grinning mischievously. "Ah, yes. The road map. Do you happen to know where it is?" Dom chuckled, guessing what Raoul would do with it.

"Well Sir, I _had_ considered burning it, or feeding it to the charming Peachblossom, but I decided against it. It's right here." He picked up said report and handed it to Raoul. "And what are you going to do with it, Sir?"

The man laughed loudly, but started to exit as Kel started to wake up. As he fled the room, he said quietly, "I was thinking of giving this to Jon-" He cut off as Dom started laughing, with a look of mock fear on his face. That mock look of fear was replaced with a look of surprise as Kel said loudly,

"Dom, would you stop? I was trying to sleep-"

"Alright, Kel." He turned to look at Raoul again, but the man had fled. Shutting the door, Dom laughed and strode over to Kel, who was looking all over the room, albeit quite gingerly. "Kel, what are you doing?"

"Looking for the reports, what do you think? I never finished them, and-" She broke off as Dom shushed her.

"Kel, if you forget, I was finishing the reports for you. I already handed them to Raoul." She sighed.

"Thank you." She went back to her searching, however, and Dom asked timidly,

"Kel, what are you looking for now?" Kel sat on her bed dejectedly, and said,

"My original report. But I can't find it anywhere. And you would have needed that to copy the reports. So where did you put it?"  
Dom put a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm, was that the one with the arrows pointing to different paragraphs?" She nodded. "And the stars announcing which paragraphs were important?" She nodded again. "And the numbered paragraphs to announce which of the starred paragraphs one should read first?" Kel nodded for a third time. Dom pretended to think for a few moments before replying, "Raoul asked for it."

"Oh." Was Kel's simple reply, and then she said, "Dom, I'm going to go back to sleep now. I'll see you later."

"All right," Dom said quietly, and started to edge out of the room. His futile hopes were in vain though, as Kel sat upright.

"Wait, why did Raoul want the original report?"

"Er…" He tried to think of another response, when he caught Kel's gaze flickering to her glaive on the wall. Swallowing an audible gulp, he said quietly, "He might have mentioned something about giving it to the King…" Dom sighed as Kel jumped up and tried to get out of the room. "Kel, where are you going?"

She glared at him before replying, "I need to find Raoul so he won't give His Majesty that report, what else?"

"Well, you could have been going to the healers, or going to eat breakfast, or-" She waved her hands at him.

"What direction did he go in?" Dom shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I was responding to your call, my dear Protector." Kel glared at him, but her gaze softened as he pouted.

"Dom, I really have to get that report back. You read through it. You noticed the page-"

He grinned cheekily. "Ah yes, _that_ page. The one where you were cursing Mithros' for the King's existence, and his subjects who seemed to all need a report?" Kel nodded dully. Dom seemed to think about it for a moment before opening the door. "I guess we could go and find him-" He broke off as Kel started to run down the hallway. "Kel, get back here!" He bellowed, hoping Raoul would hear him and give the report to the King as fast as he could. Dom chased after Kel, quickening his pace as he heard her yelling. Dom spun around a corner and-

"Dom, I'm so sorry!" A shocked Kel said, crouching over him. Dom gingerly reached up to feel his nose, and was surprised to feel a wetness around it. Breathing in, he decided it wasn't broken, just badly hit, and focused his gaze on Kel. Shaking his head slightly, he muttered,

"Curse your hard head." That got a chuckle out of her, but she quickly stopped and offered Dom a hand up. Shakily rising, he took the handkerchief Kel offered him and gingerly wiped his nose. Kel paced back and forth, and after he was done cleaning up she peered up at his nose intently.

"I don't think it's broken," She said quietly. "Anything I could do to help? Do you need ice or something?" Dom grinned slightly.

"You could always kiss it and make it feel better," He replied, half joking, half serious. Kel looked at him, and visibly gulped before replying,

"Again, _Domitan, _I think I'll refuse the offer. Now, you should really go to the healers."Dom raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so I should go to the healers, but you shouldn't? I don't think so. I've had worse. And I don't want Meathead to tease me about getting injured by you running into me." Kel started to speak, but he interrupted her. "And you know you can't lie to him. Or me. Must be the family charm. If anyone is going to get healed, it'll be you." Kel glared at him, and stalked off. "Hey wait! Kel! Get back here!" Dom shouted nasally as he followed her.

He ran into Kel's back, almost knocking her over, but caught her as she started to fall. She winced, and Dom quickly let go of her arm, which he had been gripping.

"Kel, what happened?" She shook her head, and chuckled weakly.

"You see… I was just walking… and the corner… and-" She broke off, and pointed to her arm, which was covered in scratches. Dom raised an eyebrow.

"So the wall attacked you?"

"Of course Dom. No, what do you think? I ran into it." He shrugged.

"Then why did you stop walking?" She motioned from her sunburn towards the wall, and back to herself before Dom got it. "Oh, so it hurts a lot?" Kel started to nod, but the shook her head.

"No, it's not that bad." Dom shrugged before gripping her shoulder.

"Yes, it's bad," He murmured as Kel had to cover her mouth to keep from yelling. She gritted her teeth before replying,

"So what are you going to do about it? I refuse to go to the healers. I need to find Milord, and-"

"Well, I could always kiss it and make it feel better." Kel looked at him for a second before throwing her hands up in the air and walking away from him.

"Sure, go ahead. Kiss my shoulder and make it feel better. Now, do you know what direction Raoul went in? Dom? DOM!" She turned to face him, and was surprised by the fact that he was only inches from her. "Dom," Kel asked hesitantly, "What are you doing?" He grinned, and leaned over, kissing her shoulder gently. "Dom?" He just kept smiling at her, and she prodded him gently. "Dom? Why did you do that?"

The question seemed to break him out of his thoughts. "Kel, you told me to."

"I didn't think you were serious!"

"Oh, but Kel, I am serious." (_A/N: Oops, sorry, but I'm having a totally odd HP relapse here… No, he's not Sirius, unless his last name is Black! And back to the fanfic… oddly, my cousin's last name is Black. I'm going to call him Sirius instead of Stephen from now on xD) _She tilted her head to the side, and Dom mimicked the motion. "What," He said, "Do you think I'm going to be less serious if you look at me sideways?" Kel grinned slightly, and Dom had to chuckle.

_"What?" She asked hesitantly, as if scared of the answer._

"From this angle," He replied, "Your face looks even redder." He dodged the swipe she sent at him, and then said, since he thought Kel looked a bit repulsed at the fact he kissed her shoulder, "I was just joking around with the kiss."

She sighed visibly, and then said, "I figured as much." Dom strode forward, but in doing so missed the disappointed look Kel had, and she missed the identical look on his. After a few moments of walking, she timidly asked, "So, do you have any clue where Raoul is?"

Dom started to shake his head no, but then slyly stated, "Now that I think about it, he did say something about needing to go to the healers…" He chuckled to himself as Kel tore off in that direction, completely absorbed in her thoughts and not realizing the predicament she would find herself in.

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"Oh, of course Raoul would be in the healers," Kel grumbled as she performed a pattern dance with her glaive a few hours later. "Of course. I should have realized what Dom was doing." Here she jabbed at the air, and went back to the pattern dance. A knock on the door interrupted her dance, and she yelled, "Come in!" Completing the pattern dance, she calmly wiped her glaive clean and hung it up before glaring at Dom. "Yes?" She asked, trying to keep herself from yelling at him.

Dom just grinned. "Aw Kel, you can't kill me for bringing you to the healers. Meathead wasn't even there." Kel just sighed, and asked,

"What do you want? Since there's no hope of me getting my report back, I figured I would catch up on my sleep. Again." Dom chuckled.

"We can't have you falling asleep in soup bowls again, can we?" Kel just glared at him, and he continued, saying, "I came to extend an invitation to come swimming with us tomorrow. And," Dom said in response to Kel's questioning look, "I will make sure that all the men are wearing breeches. And," He continued, gesturing to Kel's noticeably paler skin, "It's not like you can go and sit outside by yourself. We don't want you falling asleep in fields again." He grinned widely, and Kel sighed.

"Fine, I'll come."

"Brilliant!" Dom exclaimed. "Meet us in the mess for a late breakfast. I'll see you then!" He hesitated a second before hugging Kel and leaving the room.

_What was that about_, Kel thought to herself, and shook her head to clear her thoughts before going to get changed.

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Kel was vaguely surprised as, upon entering the mess of the King's Own, she was surrounded by the men of Third Company. As she walked through the group towards an empty seat near the back, she was pounded on the back and hugged by various men, and murmured a quick hello to each of them before settling herself in her seat. Grabbing a muffin from the basket placed on the table, for at this late breakfast the cooks had just placed food on the tables and left them to it, she turned to the man sitting next to her.

"Excuse me, but would you know where-" She broke off as someone else entered the mess, and made his way sleepily over to her. The man Kel had been sitting next to rose and settled himself at another table, and the man who had entered the mess late fell into his seat, placing his head on the table and emitting a soft snore. Kel just grinned, and grabbed a plate from the center of the table and started to fill up her plate. After a few minutes of him snoring, Kel started to shovel food into her mouth.

"Mmm, this food is so good," She said around a mouthful. She waved her fork laden with food in front of the man's mouth, and one blue eye opened.

"Stop tormenting me," Dom moaned. "So tired…" He closed his eye again, and seemed to all of the men to go back to sleep, but Kel would not be dissuaded. Loading up her fork with ham, she shoved it into Dom's mouth. He sat upright, and chewed the mouthful before opening his mouth again. When Kel only wiped off her fork before going back to her own meal, he said loudly, "Feeeeeeed me!" She just ignored him, and he sighed before grabbing his own plateful of food. The other men at the table just grinned, and laughed heartily as Dom glared at Kel while eating, not taking his eyes off of her.

After everyone was finished eating, Dom stood up and said loudly, "All right men, to the swimming hole!" He was knocked down in the mad rush that ensued his words, and opened his eyes to see the grinning face of Kel. "You enjoy seeing me in pain, don't you?" She just smirked in response, and offered him a hand up. "Now then, youngin' " He said jokingly as he took the hand, "Let's go swimming!"

As the walked into the clearing that was the swimming hole of the King's Own, Kel grinned. It was a large enough pond that the men could swim without worrying about swimming into each other too much, but it wasn't big enough so that they would feel dwarfed in it. A rope swing hung from a willow tree and Dom, after tearing off his shirt and thrusting it into Kel's hands, ran to it. Screaming a bloodcurdling yell, he tore off in the direction of the swing, grabbed it, and launched himself into the pond. The men, after seeing who it was, proceeded to splash the sergeant as much as they could before turning to Kel. The woman in question, a bit scared by their looks, proceeded to back up and shield herself with the only object in close range, which was Dom's shirt.

"Men, really," She stammered, "I'll just sit on the bank and-" Her words were cut off as Dom shot out of the water, closely followed by Wolset, and picked Kel up by the arms. Wolset grabbed her feet, pulled off her boots, and then they dragged her over to the water. "Dom!" She shrieked, and the men started to laugh, for she was trying her best to shake off Wolset, but wasn't doing a thing to Dom except yelling at him. The man in question just grinned before taking her into deeper water.

"Having fun, darling Keladry?" Dom asked, and she twisted her head around so she could glare at him. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, here's more fun for you!" He and Wolset started to swing her back and forth, and after the fourth swing Kel realized what they were going to do.

"No, Dom! No-" She broke off as they let go of her, and she swung into the water. "Dom!" She spluttered as she rose out of the water, and crossed her arms over her chest, for she was wearing a white shirt. Kel looked around for a few moments, but could only catch a glimpse of Wolset trying to escape. She just sighed, and walked back to the bank, where she pulled Dom's shirt on over hers. Settling herself back down on the bank, she glared at each of the men in turn before realizing Dom was no where to be seen.

"Has anyone seen Dom?" She asked after a few minutes, and the men all shrugged and went back to swimming. Kel sighed, rose, and started to walk around the pond. After she had walked halfway around, and hadn't seen Dom at all, Kel walked over to the water and stuck her feet in. Catching a glimpse of a few bubbles, she thought nothing of it until a much bigger group of bubbles came up. The bubbles caught her interest, since none of the men were in this area, and she waded in closer to them. Once she was at waist height, she could vaguely make out a shape in the water about twenty feet away from her. Deciding to swim, she waited until she was directly over the object before looking down at it.

"Dom?" She shrieked, and then dove under the water. Opening her eyes, she grimaced as she saw Dom's foot caught in the weeds and his closed eyes. Kel tugged at his foot, but that did nothing to get him loose, and she hurriedly swam to the surface. "Wolset! Anyone!" She yelled, and then took a deep breath before diving below the surface again. This time she went for the weeds, and managed to untangle them from around his foot. Grabbing him by the arms, she kicked for the surface and was met by Wolset and some of the men from Dom's squad. They took one look at the pale Dom and the panicking Kel, and helped her drag him to shore. Kel knelt next to Dom, and the men gathered around them.

"Someone go get a healer!" She heard one of the men yell, and saw Wolset run in the direction of the palace. Kel felt for a pulse while trying to remember what Neal had taught her about drowning victims.

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_"Now Kel," Neal said thoughtfully at dinner one night, "Would you know what to do if someone was drowning and you had to save them?" Kel just raised an eyebrow._

_"Why ever would I need to know that?"_

_Neal shrugged. "Because I feel like telling you. Now then-"_

_"Neal, I'm eating." The arrival of Dom took her attention away from her food and the annoying mage, and she muttered a "Hello" before going back to her eating. Dom just grinned._

_"Ah, trying to bore out Lady Knight to death with your lectures?" He queried. Neal grinned slightly, but went back to talking._

_"Now, what you should really do would be to…"_

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Kel sighed. Dom had distracted her from Neal's speech by making faces at his cousin, and flicking peas at Neal's face, and nothing she could do at the moment would bring back Neal's half of the conversation. But…

_You would need to breathe for them, Neal's voice rang through her head._

_All right, she answered back, but then realized she was talking to herself and snapped out of it. Pinching Dom's nose closed, she hesitated a second before lowering her mouth to his and breathing. She watched his chest rise, but he didn't breathe for himself. Kel kept repeating this motion, but after a few tries she stopped and rocked back on her heels. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she looked to the men and then back to Dom. She buried her face in her hands, and didn't hear some of the men gasp._

_Dom was currently trying to discreetly cough up water. Looking up, he noticed the men looking at him and winked. The men all looked surprised, but when Dom went still again and Kel lifted her head out of her hands, they wiped the looks off their faces._

"Don't give up, Kel!" One of them shouted, and Kel once again breathed for Dom.

However, this time, instead of Dom just lying there, Kel felt one of his hands come up to cradle the back of her head. She pulled away from him, but Dom just pulled her head and lips back down to meet his. After a few moments of that, Kel managed to pull away from his grasp and sat up straight.

"You- you… you!" She managed to stutter, and Dom looked at her with a weak grin. Suddenly a wracking cough went through his body, and he spit up what looked to be half the pond and a small lily pad.

"Guess we found out where the water went!" One of the men shouted, but shut his mouth at Kel's glare. She turned said glare on Dom, and asked quietly,

"Why did you do that, Domitan?"

Dom just grinned slightly before trying to hoist himself up, and failing. He motioned for one of the men to help him up, which they did, and then he looked down at Kel. "You started it, Kel."

"I was saving your life!"

"I can hold my breath forever!" He scoffed, but was interrupted by one of the men saying,

"You did look pretty blue, Dom-" He broke off at Dom's glare, and Dom looked back to Kel.

"So, was this a joke?" She asked calmly. Dom, a bit scared, answered softly,

"Well, I was trying to hide from you. The drowning part was just accidental." Kel smiled wickedly, and the men all took a collective step backwards.

"Good. Then the drowning you get now will compensate for the accident earlier." She rose and charged Dom, who turned tail and fled into the water from which he had been dragged minutes ago. Swimming as fast as he could to the other side, he soon realized that he was more tired and weaker than he had previously thought, and Kel soon caught up to him. She held on to his arm, and Dom turned to face her.

"Yes, Kel?" He asked hesitantly, treading water as if his life depended on it, for it did.

"I did not appreciate you doing that, Domitan. I was trying to save your life, and I was worried for you, and then you-" She broke off as Dom pulled her towards himself, and whispered,

"Then I what?"

"Then you," She gulped visibly before continuing. "Then you kissed me." Dom just grinned.

"Kissed you, did I? Well, I seem to have been half-drowned when that occurred. Could you repeat the action for me?" Kel went to hit him over the head, but Dom dodged her hand and kissed her. Kel gasped, and started to pull away, but Dom just tightened his one-armed grip on her and deepened the kiss.

Neal ran into the clearing, followed closely by Wolset. "He… said… Dom… what?" He panted. One of the men grinned, and cheerfully announced,

"Dom almost drowned."

"And you're happy?" Neal asked, outraged.

"Well, he survived," One of the other men shouted, and Neal visibly relaxed.

"Well, where is he now?"

"Drowning, again."

"What?" The man who first spoke pointed towards the center of the pond, where one could see Dom and Kel. "Oh." Neal said cheerfully. "Well, that's fine." He then realized what he was seeing. "Wait, what? DOM AND KEL?" The men nodded, and Neal grinned. "Finally!" He said, echoing the thoughts of most the men there. But his look of glee changed to a look of curiosity. "But why did she come swimming with you men? After last time…" The men looked at each other, and grinned, for the story of why Kel was coming swimming had been found out from Raoul.

"Well," Wolset said cheerfully, after catching his breath, "You see, Lady Kel fell asleep out in the field…"

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King Jonathon IV of Tortall looked quizzically at the large stack of papers in front of him. The maid had said that Raoul had dropped them off in a hurry, and informed him that the papers were indeed Lady Keladry's report. However, Jon could make neither hide nor tail of what was written. Tilting his head, and then the papers, he managed to figure out that the little stars and dots meant those paragraphs were added in.

_Well, that's odd_, he thought to himself. _Keladry usually organizes the reports very nicely_. He sighed. Maybe the extensive report writing she had to do was taking a toll on the poor knight. Still trying to make sense of the report, Jon managed to make out various scribblings, including a page of odd sayings, such as 'Neal is such a meathead' and 'King's should write their own reports'. He grinned, remembering how none of his friend's liked to write reports, and this was seeming to rub off on Keladry, but then came across a note slid in between the pages.

_Why, hullo Jon_, he read, and grimaced as he recognized Raoul's big scrawl. _Enjoying the report? I sure am. My nice, clean, organized copy is so nice. How is yours?_

_Jonathon grimaced, and wrote a note reminding himself to find Raoul and make him attend the next few balls as the guest of honor._

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_Aaaaaaand it's done! Completed! El Fin!_

_Now, if I could login to I could upload this. But I'll try and upload it tomorrow (May 31st) and feel happy. I wrote this last chapter instead of working on my Spanish final project. Which I'll do now xD_

_After you read this, please review and tell me what you think. And if I need to make any necessary changes xD_

**Trilian225:** _Oops, i went back and fixed that now xD And yeah, did I forget to mention that i was watching Sandlot when i figured out taht it should end like that? lol xD And OMG you like That Thing You Do? That's like, one of my fav movies! xD_

**Annmarie Aspasia:**_ Lol, however major HP relapses are fun xD_

_A/N Edited: Okay, finally managed to upload this June 1st. Be happy xD_

_Oh yeah, and i've decided I'm going to write a book this summer. Well, two books, really. Book 1 will be "The Art of being a Procrastinator" xD And Book 2 will be "The Art of being a Blonde" xD I think i can make big money._

_Seriously, my mom IS after me to write a book... so i was just wonderign if everyone who told me they liked my writing could tell me like, what grade you're in... so i can see what age group I should write for, heh xD_


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